Judges have released the shortlist for this year’s British Archaeological Awards showcasing professional and community-led archaeology projects up and down the country that reveal the story of Britain and its people in exciting, innovative and engaging ways.
Shortlisted projects from across the UK range from large development–led excavations in our cities – such as Oxford Archaeology South’s Westgate project and London’s Lost Graveyard, the Crossrail discovery featured in True North Production’s Secret History programme for Channel 4 – and long-term university-based research projects such as the Silchester ‘Town Life’ project and Dig Greater Manchester, to community projects such as The Whithorn Trust’s Hearth, Home and Farm project in Dumfries & Galloway, and the Battles, Bricks and Bridges project in Co. Fermanagh. Finalists also included cross-community partnership projects producing new teaching resources such as Forestry Commission Scotland’s The Picts: a learning resource and the Ulster Scots Archaeological Services Project in Northern Ireland.
All the finalists have a common theme – involving and enthusing young people and the public in Britain’s archaeology.
Shortlisted books tell the story of the Welsh slate industry, explore the rich remains on the Outer Hebridean island of St Kilda, and help us make sense of the theories surrounding Stonehenge, Britain’s ultimate archaeological mystery.
Archaeology is celebrated for harnessing and pushing forward technological innovation, and DigVentures’ Digital Dig Team recording app shares excavation ‘finds’ instantly online and on social media, while the National Geographic Under London feature was accompanied by a paper stop-animation to help readers understand the timeline of archaeology under the city.
Finalists such as the journal Internet Archaeology and the Postglacial Project at the University of York have used Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), 3D modelling and embedded multimedia to help fellow researchers and the public to interpret new findings for themselves and understand what they tell us about the past and the world around us.
Deborah Williams, Chair of the British Archaeological Awards commented,
The entries this year reflect the incredible wealth and range of archaeology that is going on across the UK, the quality and expertise of our world-leading archaeologists, and the ever increasing fascination of the British public with the history and archaeology of their local area.
Increasingly archaeologists are responding to this interest by developing new ways to help people to take part in research and excavations, start up community projects, and share and understand new discoveries - and this shines through in our shortlisted entries.
The winners of this year’s Awards will be announced at the 2016 British Archaeological Awards ceremony, compèred by ‘Meet the Ancestors’ archaeologist and TV presenter Julian Richards at the British Museum on 11 July and showcasing the very latest discoveries and innovations in British archaeology.
This year, the judges will also announce discretionary Awards for Outstanding Achievement and Best Archaeological Discovery at the ceremony, which also marks the launch of the Council for British Archaeology’s annual Festival of Archaeology from 16 to 31 July with over 1000 public hands-on events, many free, on offer to the public across the UK.
The British Archaeological Awards entries are judged by independent panels made up of leading experts from across the archaeology field in the UK, including both professional and voluntary sectors.
See the shortlisted projects at www.archaeologicalawards.com and follow the Awards on twitter @BAAWARDSUK and Facebook/British Archaeological Awards
